Magnetic motor



March 22, 1938. a. c. ARMsTRbNG MAGNETIC MOTOR Filed No v. 21, 1955 ATfORNEY BY M37 Patented Mar 22 1938 PATENT OFFICE I 2,111,551 MAGNETIC Moron George 0. Armstrong, Pittsburgh, Pa., assignor to. Westinghouse Electric & Manufacturing Company, a corporation of Pennsylvania Application November 21', 1935, Serial No. 50,866 10 Claims. lei. rte-126i This invention relates to magnetic devices and includes an arrangement thatmay be called a magnetic ratchet.

It is an object of thisdnvention to produce rotation from the interaction of certain mag netic parts including a vibrating armature.

It is a further object of this invention to rotate a screw by the interaction of the stationary part of a magnetic circuit and a vibrating armature.

It is a further object toequip the armature in such an arrangement with a thread engaging the screw. 7

It is another object of this invention to pro duce a relatively slow movement from the c'om-= paratively rapid movement ofa'vibrating armature without the intervention of gears.

It is a further object of this invention to produce vibratory movements by means of alter-= nating current and to employ the flux from such a current to also induce movements of a rotatable body.

55 nating current.

t 'It is another object of this invention to equip ,the rotatable body and the vibrating armature in the last-mentioned object of the invention with cooperating threads. I 9

It is a furtherwobject of the invention to so mount a rotatable magnetic body within the field of a stationary pole that it can be magnetically drawn into engagement with a, vibrating armature and to provide a bias tending to hold it away from said armature.

, It is a further object of this invention when therotatable body is a screw to provide said bias either by a spring or by an end thrust on the screw.

Other objects of the invention and details of the structure will appear from the following detailed description and "the accompanying draw= ing, in which:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of the device;

' 1 Fig. 2 is a side elevational view thereof;

3 is a view in perspective of certain details; and

Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic view illustrating how the device may be employed to operate a relay".

The device includes a magnetic, circuit having a stationary or base portion i with two arms t and 3 extending upwardly from the base portion in the position illustrated in Fig. 2. The mag= 'netic circuit 'is of laminated iron and the laminations are coveredby side pieces. The laminations in the arm 3 terminate in an arcuate pole shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2. This arm car ries a coil 4 adapted to-be supplied with alter- The side pieces, enclosing the laminations on the arm 3, extend above it, as indicated at 6, and afford support for a pivot 1, upon which an armature 8 is mounted. At the top, the side pieces 8 carry a bracket I0 supporting a platel2 which carries abutments l3 and It for the upper ends of two springs and H6. The springs bear against the upper face of the armature on opposite sides of the pivot l and so maintain the armature in a position of equilibrium.

The member 2 of the magnetic circuit is equipped with side pieces having brackets l9 at their upper ends. Holes are provided in the brackets 09 for loosely mounting screw l8. The screw is thus supported above the pole which is the upper end of the member 2, indicated by dotted line 9. The end of the armature 8 adjacent the screw i8 is equipped with ribs (see Fig. 3) adapted to engage in the threads of the screw 18. The side piecesof member 2 also each carry a bracket in integral therewith but disposed at right angles thereto, which support flat springs 11 hearing against screw l8.

In the operation of the device, when the coil I is energized with alternating current, the armature 8 is set into oscillation at a frequency twice that of the alternating current. The at ,traction between the left-hand end of the armature and the pole 9 at the upper end of the member 2 is productive of this vibration. The springs 15 and iii are alternately compressed by the movements of the armature, and the position of equilibrium when the current oscillations pass through zero is that illustrated in 133g. 2. Fig. 3

, illustratesthe position of the armature when the magnet is completely deenergized. In the position illustrated in Fig. 3 the teeth 20 are completely out ofengagement with the screw l8. 1

The screw 18 is subject to the pressure of the springs I1 and the flux between the armature 8 and the member 2. It isalso subject to friction with the armature 8 or the teeth 20 during certain parts of the oscillations of the armature.

The analysis of these forces and their action upon the screw is difiicult but the result is that the screw in the construction illustrated rotates clockwise, as seen in Fig. 2.

The following is an explanation of this action as completely as present knowledge permits. When the armature 8 is set into vibration by the alternating current, after a few cycles it acquires a state of steady motion, that is, vibration and during such vibration it is in the position most remote from the member let the time when the current in coil 4 is passing through a maxi- "the mum. The polarity of the part of the screw nearest the armature I at such time is opposite to thatof the armature, and magnetic attraction between them insures that the armature moving counter-clockwise, on its pivot will drive, the screw clockwise, as seen in Fig. 2, during the downward motion of the armature end. As .the

the flux in the gap between the armature I and the member 2 will be reversed, but not until this current reaches a certain strength will it reverse the polarity in the screw. Until this occurs there is slipp ng between the teeth 20 and the threads of the screw ll, not'only because of the magnetic repulsion between them, but also because of the action of the springs I! tending to separate them. The screw will move under action of the springs H, but not far enough to completely e the threads of the screw from the teeth II.

At about the through zero, the armature was in-the act of reversing its motion so that it was going upward, as seen in Fig. 2, dining the time that the screw was of the same polarity as the armature. This upward movement does not cause reversal in the rotary movement of the screw, because of the slipping which occurs while the screw is of the same polarity as the armature. After the magneto motive force in the new direction has acquired sufllcient strength to reverse the polarity of the screw it is again attracted toward the teeth 20 and the movement of the armature upward has a rotary eii'ect upon the screw moving it in a counter-clockwise direction. As the current increases the armature moves upwardly under the influence of the energy stored in the springs, reaching its upper position at approximately the time that the current has again reached its maximum.

During the next half cycle the action is repeated, the armature descendingand driving the screw clockwise until the armature reaches its lowermost position. Then there is slipping between the armature and the screw as the armature begins its upward movement, and finally the'screw is driven counter-clockwise while the armature approaches its uppermost position and the current its maximum in the original direction.

It will thus be seen that the screw is driven clockwise for a complete quarter cycle of the current, then there is slipping between the screw and the armature for a portion of a quarter cycle of the current, and the armature is driven counter-clockwise for the remainder of said quarter cycle. During the next half cycle of the current this is repeated, the armature being driven clockwise for a quarter cy le, then slipping for a. portion of the next quarter cycle, and being driven counter-clockwise for the final part of the second half cycle. The result of the whole series of actions during the cycle is that the armature is: driven clockwise more than it is driven counter-clockwise. The armature, theretimethatthecurrentpassed- In Fig. 4, I have illustrated the application of 10 this device to a time-delay relay. In Fig. 4, closing the push-button 28 will energize the magnet 21 of a circuit-closing and self-holding switch. This has the eiiect oi energizing a motor 28 and the coil 4 of the relay mechanism. The 15 motor rotor initially includes a resistor II, in circuit with it. After the coil I has been energized for a predetermined period, the contacts 25 are closed, which has the effect of energizing the magnet 80 which out the resistor 2|.

Upon operating the push button Ii to deenergize the magnet 21, the magnet I is likewise deenergized and the armature takes the position illustrated in Fig. 3 with the out of engagement with the screw II; The screw ll, therefore, returns under gravity as illustrated, or any other bias provided, to its original position. and the contacts II open leaving the parts in their original position.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that many variations are possible within the spirit of this invention. I, therefore, desire that the foregoing description and the drawing be reoperates a switch to cut 20 teeth II completely 25 garded as illustrative only, not as limiting the claims beyond the limitations actually expressed therein.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a magnetic motor, a vibratory armature,

a magnetic circuit energized with alternating 40 current for keeping said armature in vibration and a movably mounted magnetic body interlinked with the flux traversing said magnetic circuit and said armature, and means biasing said body to a given position whereby said body differs at times in polarity from said armature while at other times has a similar polarity whereby the motion of said body produced by the vibrations of said armature will be cumulative.

2. In a magnetic motor, a magnetic circuit including a stationary part and an armature, a coil on said stationary part, biasing means holding said armature yieldingly away from said stationary part, whereby when said coil is energized by vibrate, magnetic means cooperating with said vibrating armature and means for biasing said magnetic means away from said armature whereby said means diflers at times in polarity from said armature while polarity and thus produces rotation of said means through the vibration of the armature.-

3. In a magnetic motor, a magnetic circuit including an armature, and a stationary part, a

alternating current said armature will at other times has a similar 00 biasing means yleldingly keeping the armature 06 at a distance from the stationary part and aifording an air gap, means for energizing said magnetic circuit with alternating current to cause said armature to oscillate, a rotatable body mounted in said air gap in with the end of said armature but said rotatable body including means normally biasing it away from said contact, whereby the coaction of said oscillating armature and the means normally biasing the rotatable body away position to contact from the arma- 'Qllit having an air gap therein and including a ture cause a motion of said rotatable body during energization of said magnetic circuit which will be cumulative.

4. In a magnetic device, an armature, opposed springs maintaining said armature in equilibrium, a magnetic circuit adapted to be energized with periodic current cooperating with said armature and maintaining it in vibration when said magnetic device is energized, a threaded member in position to be energized by said armature and a thread carried by said armature cooperating with said threaded member.

'5. .An electric motor comprising a magnet core v having an air gap therein and including a movable part adjacent said gap, means generating a varying flux in the core and gap, means-cooperating with the movable core part to effect oscillating movement thereof in accordance with the varying flux, a rotatably mounted magnetic member interlinked with the flux traversing said core and said movable part and means for biasing said )magnetic member so that said member principally follows the movable part for'oscillatory movements in a given direction whereby said member is caused to move in a step-by-step manner in substantially a given direction by the movable part of the core.

6. A,ratchet type electric motor comprising in combination, an oscillating magnetizable member, means for generating a variable flux therein, and a rotatable magnetizable rotor spring biased away from one end of the oscillating magnetizable member and peripherally engaged by the adjacent end face of the oscillating magnetizable member during the portion of the movement when attraction exists between, said oscillating member and said rotatable member..

7. A ratchet type electric motor, comprising in combination, an oscillating magnetizable member traversed by an alternating magnetic flux, a

bearing, a magnetizable rotor loosely rotatably supported by said bearing adjacent to a face of said oscillating magnetizable member and adapted to be magnetically attracted into frictional engagement with the face of said magnetizable member to be rotated thereby in a succession of a short peripheral movements.

8. A magnetic device comprising a magnet cirmovable part adjacent said air gap, means adapted to generate a varying fiux in the circuit and across said air gap, spring means cooperating with the movable part of the circuit adapted to effect oscillating movement thereof in accordance with the varying flux, a rotatably mounted magnetic rotor disposed in said air gap and attracted and engaged by said movable part of the magnet circuit during a portion of the travel thereof, and spring means for biasing said rotor away from said movable part of the magnet circuit to restrict the period of such engagement of said rotor and said movable core part.

9. A magnetic device comprising a magnet circuit having an air gap therein and including a movable part adjacent said air gap, means generating a varying flux in the circuit and across said gap, spring means cooperating withthe movable part to effect oscillating movement thereof in accordance with thevarying flux, a rotatably mounted magnetic rotor having a threaded portion disposed in' said air gap and -attracted and engaged at its threaded portion by said movable part during a portion of its travel, and spring means for biasing said rotor away from said movable core part to restrict the period of such engagement of said rotor and said movable core part.

10. In a magnetic motor, an armature of magnetic material adapted to vibrate, a stationary frame, or stator, of magnetic material, and a movably mounted magnetic body, said armature, stator frame and movably mounted body comprising a magnetic circuit, means adapted to energize said magnetic circuit by an alternating current whereby the armature is caused to vibrate, said movable body being disposed near an end of the armature and an end of the stator so GEORGE C. ARMSTRONG. 

